Plastic foam splint



Oct. 1,1968 DE LAMAR J. GIBBONS 3,403,676

`L'ASTIC FOAM SPLINT Filed Nov. l2, 1965 FI/.gl

De Lamar J. Gibbons INVENTOR.

United States. Patent O 3,403,676 PLASTIC FOAM SPLINT De Lamar J.Gibbons, P.O. Box 35, Lewiston, Utah 84320 Filed Nov. 12, 1965, Ser. No.507,399 5 Claims. (Cl. 12S-87) ABSTRACT oF THE DISCLOSURE The presentinvention relates to special purpose appliances such as are expresslydesigned and structurally adapted to encase components of a fracturedbone in a manner to provide support means and pertains, moreparticularly, to stabilizing splints, and casts.

Persons conversant with the field of endeavor herein under advisementare well aware that prior art bone setting casts and splints, such asplaster of paris casts, are many and varied and that, generallyspeaking, such casts are not only diicult to apply and remove, they areuncomfortably heavy and much too rigid.

There has long existed a need for an improved and time and labor savingcomfortably wearable splint. Accordingly, it is an object in the lmatterat hand to advance the art of splints and, having done so, toeffectually solve this problem.

In carrying out the present inventive concept a selfadapting conformablyfitting sleeve is utilized. This sleeve is made of thin pliant plasticfilm and characterized by inner and outer walls defining a chamber. Therespective end portions of the walls are united and sealed in such amanner that by charging and inating the chamber with plastic foam(polyurethane foam for example) the thus tilled and inated sleeve iseffectually transformed into the desired fracture bridging bonerestoring cast or splint.

The pliant film-like plies of the sleeve have coacting portionsdistributively interconnected by heat-sealed or bonded components whichconjointly provide the desired dimensional stability, that isrestraining stability against over-expansion, whereby to condition thechamber for reception and adequate retention of the liquid plastic foam(prepolymer and resin-catalyst material).

Another aspect has to do with a plastic sleeve which is transformableinto a iirm setting cast. To the ends desired polyethylene has beenfound to be highly advantageous. It provides the desired mechanicalproperties such as tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, goodresistance to outdoor aging, is possessed of good molding andselfshaping characteristics, is transparent, and substantially odorless.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective which shows a splint or cast constructedin accordance with the principles of the ice present invention and inuse on a fractured vor broken arm;

FIG. 2 is a central longitudinal view on a larger scale showing thesplint inflated to its normally expanded state with shape impartingpolyurethane foam or anequivalent plastic foam;

FIG. 3 is a section on the sectionline 3-3 of PIG. 2.

The plastic material polyethylene from which the sleeve is currentlybeing made is possessed of the requisite inherent properties insofar astensile strength and other mechanical characteristics are concerned,embodies stability and all such properties and those which are common tothis transparent film-type lightweight material. While the ctst orsplint may be described as such that it performs to provide protectiveand supportive needs, it takes the form of an open-ended sleeve denotedby the numeral 4. This sleeve embodies an outer film or wall 6 and anopposed inner companion wall 7. These components (as drawn) may give theimpression that the sheet material is thick. Actually, that is inpractice, it is a thin film highly pliant and yet capable of retainingthe given cast-like shape shown, for instance in FIG. l. The forward end8 is fashioned into a suitable seal as is the rearward or inner end 9.These ends are shown in the drawing convexly rounded but obviouslyindividual walls (sheets of lm) could be provided with their coactingmarginal edges heat sealed to provide the container or bag. Atdistributively spaced points the two walls are spot-welded, that isbonded together. The bonding and dimensional stability components areshown as paired and coordinating dimples 10 and 12 whose crests orterminal ends abut and are heat sealed (not detailed). It will beunderstood that the spot welded over-expansion limiting components 10and 12 are illustrated in somewhat oversize form in order to emphasizethe fact that any prescribed number of coacting portions of the walls 6and 7 can be spot welded and linked together to provide a cellularchamber which is such that it can be effectively filled with the desiredextrudable self-soldifying material so that the finished product may becaused to conform to the coacting portions of the limb and when thefiller media hardens and rigidilies, the thus constructed splint willimmobilize the fractured bone as shown in FIG. 2. An aperture 14 isprovided with a filler neck 16 having a fitting or adapter collar 18sealed and properly joined to the median part of the outer wall asdesignated generally at 20. The pre-mixed liquid plastic is injectedthrough the filler neck 16 into the receiving and molding chamber thusproviding the desired disposable splint.

Trial and error and many experimental developments involving the hereindisclosed innovation have shown that the plastic foam most aptly suitedis a polyurethane foam, more specifically Arothane 8740A (a prepolymer)and Arothane 8744B (a resin-catalystic material) and which combine andwhen properly mixed (not detailed here) achieve the infiating andself-rigidifyng result desired, a cast or splint. This splint is lightin weight, durable, strong and conformingly comfortable whereby toattain the restorative results which have been achieved.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modilications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use in orienting, maintaining and restoring related componentparts of a fractured arm, limb or other impaired body part andtemporarily immobilizing and gradually normalizing the same, a cast-likesplint comprising an elongated open-ended snug-fitting limb encasingplastic sleeve" embodying like inner and outer concentric walls made ofclear plastic lrn, said walls having their respective terminal endportions united and sealed by interconnecting web-like end walls to forma hollow ller media receiving chamber, said chamber being charged andinated with self-solidifying plastic foam.

2. The splint dened in and according to claim 1, and wherein saidplastic hlm is pliant polyethylene possessed of requisite tensilestrength, modulus of elasticity, resistance to aging, is virtuallyodorless, and is transformable into a firm but light in weight splint.

3. The splint defined in and according to claim 2, and wherein saidchamber is amply stable that it lends itself to the inherent pressure ofa full charge of plastic foam without the likelihood of being ruptured.

4. The splint according to claim 1 and wherein predetermined opposedminimal but complemental portions of said inner and outer walls areheat-bonded in a manner to interconnect said walls at distributed pointsthroughout said chamber and also to unite the walls and provide thedimensional stability capable of osetting over-expan- References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 2,943,859 7/1960 Koski et al 128-87 3,186,4056/1965 Bailey et al 12S-87 3,212,497 10/1965 Dickinson 128-87 3,332,4157/1967 Ericson 128--87 FOREIGN PATENTS 735,700 6/1966 Canada. 440,113 1/1927 Germany.

L. W. TRAPP, Prz'nmry Examiner.

